neon_city_projectfandomcom-20200214-history
Anguis
"Long ago in a distant land... I, ''Anguis, the shapeshifting master of serpents, ruled over my subjects with an iron fist! But... actually, I cannot remember the rest."'' Backstory In the distant past, a race of snake-human hybrids, known as the naga, ruled the earth, or at least a sizable part of it. Living in a golden city, at the center of their culture was the reverence of a serpent deity - She who created them in the beginning, and saw that their needs were met. This kingdom was ruled by the naga king Anguis, who additionally served as their Oracle, as he was the only one the goddess would speak to. However, this prosperity did not last: one day, the naga simply vanished and their kingdom fell into disrepair, though Anguis himself was spared whatever fate had befallen the others. The only signs the naga had ever existed were the now-overgrown ruins that were once their home, though its treasures had long been pilfered by She only knew who, and the world around the once-proud city had changed drastically from how he remembered. Anguis learned much to his horror that the naga were regarded as beings of myth; serving as the basis for countless fairy tales and legends, and he was alone. At least, until he began to hear Her voice again. It was faint, and Her voice was weak, but there was no doubt the serpent deity was speaking to him once more. If he was to survive in what was effectively a new world, he would have to adapt, and perhaps take on a secondary form based on the current dominant race. Anguis had found a new purpose: Find out what happened to his people, see to the rise of his goddess, and hopefully get his people back. Appearance Anguis' attire is comprised of four items: a large, golden helm of sorts resembling the head and hood of a cobra with its mouth wide open, with his own head and neck visible inside, and a blue jewel hanging from the helm's lower jaw; a scarlet cape around his neck that drapes and closes around his body, normally hiding his arms; a tower-esque serpent made of gold upon each shoulder, which his cape wraps around; and a dark-blue cloth around his torso drapes down his body and parts at the front of where his waistline would be if he had one. As far Anguis himself goes, though a naga, he closer resembles a snake than a man; his body is that of a green serpent's, but while his head appears to be that of a snake's with an open mouth, closer examination reveals a bit of normal skin inside, with a more human mouth. His arms appear comprised of a few snakes intertwined, their necks and heads serving as the five fingers on each "hand." Another two snakes appear to wrap around his waist diagonally in a cross formation, and another, larger pair appears to be wrapped around his shoulders, their heads meeting at his chest. Abilities Anguis has total immortality, incapable of aging and possessing an immunity to known diseases, and is rarely seen eating or drinking. Physically, apparently sharing physiology with snakes, his body is covered in thick, highly resistant scales that repel most basic attacks to the extent he doesn't even feel them, and he is flexible and possesses tremendous physical strength. His sense of smell is great, and he can sense or perceive vibrations in the earth. Though normally on the slow side, he can move surprisingly quickly when need be. He can rapidly burrow through even concrete, though whether he does this through sheer strength or some other means is unknown. Adaptive to water, he possesses an enhanced lung capacity, and is an incredible swimmer, able to move about underwater with ease. An enhanced regenerative factor is a feat he also boasts, as his body can rapidly repair "minor" damage, and severed parts can be regenerated; however, the more extensive the damage, the greater the regeneration time. Regeneration time can range from seconds for minor injuries or regrowing missing parts, to a month if reduced to tiny pieces. The snakes around his waist and comprising his fingers are alive; they can hiss and move about, and will frequently make expressions to match his own. Anguis can actually quickly separate himself into countless smaller snakes at will; these snakes are capable of biting, injecting venom, and burrowing. The snakes will eventually attempt to work toward converging on one spot, so that they can fuse back together to form Anguis once more. Anguis can reform even if one or more snakes are killed or otherwise indisposed, but he will be weakened for each one missing. It is unknown if the snakes comprising his body or that he splits into have minds and or wills of their own. Anguis can release a highly corrosive acid from the various snakes on his body; this is capable of eating through steel, and is useful if he can't simply brute force his way through. Far more dangerous, however, is the venom he can produce: while contact with eyes induces blindness, only temporarily if removed within sufficient time, venom injected into an opponent's body will cause a variety of effects depending on the amount or type. Dizziness, nausea, temporary paralysis, pain, draining strength, and death are the things the serpent king's poison can induce. Acid and venom can either be injected through bite, fired in shots, or a stream. Water his venom is released into becomes incredibly toxic, and is dangerous if ingested. Anguis also possesses the ability to manipulate water; he can bend, shape, add to, or otherwise control it to his will, and even freeze or boil it. However, though he can add to water he is currently handling, he is not capable of actually creating it from nothing. The last notable power Anguis has is being able to quickly shift to a human form. While in this form, he still has enhanced strength, durability, and healing, but his only ability he has access to is controlling water. Anguis can appear as virtually any type of person he desires, with one flaw: They all have yellow irises, and a marking on their back resembling a snake eating its own tail. Personality Despite his ghastly appearance, Anguis is not evil so much as embittered with his current situation: Having ruled a nation for at least 1000 years, only to lose everything and find he was completely unable to remember anything that happened beyond what seemed like just the other night did not exactly please him. He wishes to see his people return, but he ultimately doesn't desire to outright destroy the current civilization that has developed in the absence of his own, at least for now. He has yet to find a way to bring back his people - his goddess is rarely able to speak with him, and what little She does get through to him is on the cryptic side. He has made great progress in adapting to the "current world," but has difficulty with modern conventions; he doesn't quite seem to understand most technology, and is poor with handling it. His sense of morality can be found confusing or bizarre by others. Anguis is far from stupid, however: He will pretend to be incompetent and ultimately harmless as a human, while secretly watching others to assess their strengths and weaknesses. In a fight, he is strictly pragmatic, taking and using anything he can for an advantage; he will rarely kill, but will gladly take hostages, target bystanders, lie, use intimidation, etc. Should he find himself threatened, he will separate into countless smaller snakes that will escape and later attempt to merge back together somewhere safe. His true form is revealed and used only as a last resort. Category:Teamlinked